Why not inject some awe into autumn, especially only a couple of weeks before the start of the Days of Awe?
Last Sunday evening, Sept. 11, approximately 220 local nature lovers attended the Fall Harvest Celebration at the Pearlstone Center in Reisterstown. The gathering was the first major fundraiser event at Pearlstone since its 18th anniversary celebration in September of 2019, prior to the pandemic.
Co-chaired by Alyson Friedman and Batsheva Messing, the celebration began with a strolling cocktail hour and a tour of the Pearlstone campus, including its newly restored stream. Also featured was a farm-to-table feast prepared by Pearlstone’s kitchen and an after-party bonfire.
“We are beyond grateful to pause on this solemn day of remembering the many lives that were lost in our country [on Sept. 11, 2001] to celebrate our wonderful Jewish community at Pearlstone/Hazon, our Baltimore gem,” said Friedman, “transforming lives through immersive retreats, Jewish environmental education and climate action.”
Said Messing, alluding to the Torah-mandated precept for a sabbatical year in the seven-year agricultural cycle:
“As we come to the end of a shmita year, we are blessed to be able to gather together to celebrate this land and all it provides us with. As we prepare for a new Jewish year, we reflect on what we have achieved thus far, look forward to a promising future.”
Pearlstone is an agency of The Associated: Jewish Federation of Baltimore. Among the sponsors of the Fall Harvest Celebration were Chesapeake Contracting Group, National Lumber, Kitchen Saver, Beth Tfiloh Dahan Community School, Innovative Party Planners, Stevenson Village, Strategic Factory and Herzog Wine Cellars.
